Evidence control
How long must importers keep customs records, and can your team find them?
CBP generally requires entry records to be kept for five years from the date of entry and produced when demanded. Retention alone is not enough: each file should stay linked to its shipment, request, version and review state, so the right person can retrieve it quickly during an audit, a claim or a cost close.
By Ayhan Karaca, Co-Founder · Updated: September 29, 2026
How long do customs records have to be kept?
CBP states that entry-summary records generally must be kept for five years from the entry date or the activity that required the record, and must be produced when demanded. The exact applicable record set and exceptions require professional review. Operationally, retention without findability leaves teams searching when a broker, auditor, customer, or finance reviewer needs evidence.
| Question | Weak state | Decision-ready state |
|---|---|---|
| Which shipment? | Filename guess | Linked shipment identity |
| Which version? | Newest attachment assumed | Version and received time visible |
| Who supplied it? | Inbox memory | Source and request trail visible |
| Why was it used? | Decision reconstructed later | Review and exception context retained |
What does it cost when files cannot be found?
The deeper loss appears when people use the wrong version, repeat a request, postpone a cost close, or cannot explain why an operational decision was made. These consequences should be measured from actual rework, aged exceptions, audit requests, and margin adjustments—not an invented hourly benchmark.
How do you build a shipment evidence trail?
A durable record connects the file to the shipment, partner, request, received time, review state, and relevant cost or customs question. Access should stay role-appropriate, and the team should distinguish working documents from authoritative filings or professional determinations.
- Use shipment context instead of filenames as the primary locator.
- Keep provenance and review state beside each document.
- Connect supporting evidence to cost and exception records.
- Apply the retention policy approved for the business and record type.
How Tyllus helps
Tyllus gives teams a structured place to connect shipment files, partner requests, provenance, review status, exceptions, and costs. That makes the operational story easier to retrieve and hand off without exposing how the product is implemented. Tyllus supports record organization; it does not define legal retention obligations or replace an official system of record chosen by the business.
Make shipment evidence retrievable.
See how Tyllus can connect files, requests, review state, and decisions to the shipment they support.